|
|
| EnglishVersion/Vehicles/Trucks/Trucks-pg3.htm [page 3/4] - 7 imgs - Last Modifications: - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Steyr At the time of the annexation of Austria by Wehrmacht, the Germans reflect the hand on the automobile factories owhich will provide various vehicles to Wehrmacht.
Between 1941 and 1944, a total of 12450 Steyr 1500 A were produced in Austria. Car-union with Sigmar and Audi with Zwickau producted 5600 in Germany of them. Three alternatives were produced: a light truck, a transport of infantry and a luxurious car of command for high ranked (Kommandeurwagen Kfz.21). Some trucks were equipped with a rear box to be used as ambulance.
Because of the difficulties of provisioning at the time of the winter 1941-1942, the German army required simplified tractors to be produced in great number and able to be driven easily on very bad roads and grounds. The use of a full-tracked suspension was very expensive and required many hours of machining, it was thus decided to develop a vehicle with wheels. Hitler required the development of a "4 wheels" vehicle equipped with a very significant ground clearance and wheels of big size, a little like the farm tractors. Porsche developed the tractor which comprised several elements of Porsche-Tiger as well as an engine of series of 4 cylinders. An alternative of diesel was also envisaged but the gasoline version was preferred. The vehicle was equipped with a hoist with cable with a force of traction of 5 tons. The wheels of the RSO of Porsche were entirely out of steel and measured 150 cm in diameter and 30 cm (nose gear wheels) and 40 cm (rear wheels) in broad. They were provided with coarse strips and dismountable claws. Although modifications were undertaken on different occasions, one did not succeed to bring the powers of traction necessary on the ground.
A demonstration of the RSO in the presence of Hitler took place in 4 January 1943. After this demonstration Skoda undertook to manufacture a preproduction (O-Serien) of 100 specimens but as the RSO did not carry out waitings related to its cross-country employment, the project was cancelled with the profit of entirely tracked machines. Approximately 50 specimens of O-Serien had were however manufactured. In 1944, still existing vehicles were used largely in Normandy. Radschlepper Ost is in the beginning an entirely tracked tractor developped for the snow-covered and muddy grounds of the Eastern front. It was developed by Steyr in 1942 and was equipped with the transmission of the standard 1.5-ton truck. The suspension that was entirely tracked and very simplified with an aim of economy, caused excessive vibrations. The road wheels were of steel, without rubber bindings, and the springs blade was of quarter-elliptic type. The release on the ground was 55 cm what made it possible the vehicle to easily move on the worst grounds. . RSO/01 was produced since 1942 and the RSO/03 from 1944. The RSO was mainly employed to tow guns of 50 mm and 75 mm Pak, howitzers light and 88 mm Pak 43 of the units of Volksgrenadier. The RSO could also be used as cargo liner with its back platform. More than 28000 specimens were produced by Steyr, Klockner-Deutz-Magirus, Wanderer and others, of 1942 to 1945. In 1943, RSO was also employed like mobile mounting for 7.5 cm PaK 40/4. An amphibian versio of this tractor was also developed.
The Germans also entered in their park autonombiles models produced by the Czech firms like Skoda, or vehicles captured to the overcome armies and of course foreign vehicles bought before the war.
- Back
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
src:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.ap.jpg)
.old.jpg)
